Project for Empty Space (PES) is turning 15! To celebrate this milestone, we are excited to host our annual fête, the Badass Art Woman Awards, in splendid form with a theme of La Resilience. This year’s soiree will be held Monday, September 29, 2025, from 7 - 10 pm at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. 

This year’s honorees are Dr. Deborah Willis, Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, Ebony L. Haynes, Senior Director and Curator, 52 Walker, and Helen Toomer, Founder, Stoneleaf Retreat and Upstate Art Weekend and Co-Founder of Art Mamas Alliance.

Fifteen years ago, Project for Empty Space was founded with a simple goal: to create spaces where artists and communities could come together to create and imagine new possibilities. We didn’t start with a building, a budget, or even a single city to call home. What we had was a deep conviction that art holds the power to bring about meaningful change. From the very beginning, we understood that working at the intersection of art and social justice would require us to confront challenges head-on—from political resistance to economic instability and cultural forces that seek to divide or silence.

110 EDISON PL, NEWARK - The Ocean Doesn’t Recognize Tears is a solo exhibition by 2022 Artist In Residence Andrea Chung, presented at the Project for Empty Space Ironside Newark location from Tuesday, May 6, to Friday, August 15, 2025.

800 BROAD ST, NEWARK - When Civilizations Heal is a solo exhibition by 2024–2025 Artist In Residence Helina Metaferia, on view at the Project for Empty Space 800 Broad Street location from Tuesday, May 6, through Friday, August 15, 2025.

128 BAXTER ST, NYC - Project for Empty Space’s Feminist FUTURES Fellow Alyssa Alexander proudly presents Sonic Womb: Leaving Gender on the Dance Floor, a two-part exhibition series at PES FUTURES from Wednesday, April 23, through Saturday, June 7, and Wednesday, June 18, through Saturday, August 16, 2025.